Zena said "...in alot of other cultures they often "close down
shop" in the middle of the day for napping...Perhaps our societies even used
to do this as
well, but with the coming of the industrial age...this practice or change in
lifestyle soon was thought "outdated",..."

Heck, I'm not even as old as "the coming of the industrial era", but I can
still remember when lots of businesses were closed at the lunch hour, so
owners/employees could get their own lunch (even go home for lunch!), get a
little break, whatever. And I still can't get used to stores being open in
the evenings, or on Sundays - it surprises me, every single time. When I was
in elementary school, the lunch break was from 11:45 - 2:00, and there was
no "school lunch", no lunchroom or cafeteria, kids weren't even allowed to
be in the school or on the playground then. We went home (walked, no school
buses either), and plenty of us had a little nap before we went back for the
afternoon. The afternoon session lasted till 4:00 or 4:30 - just enough time
to play a little before supper, and then we were all home for the evening -
no stores open to go to, only very rarely a PTA meeting or something in the
evening, no jaunting around after supper, ever! And I'm not even 50 yet!

Breastfeeding-related?? Well, yes - families sure spent much more time at
home together! And whether or not we actually took a nap at lunchtime, my
mom was home to feed us and patch up the wounds and cares of our mornings at
school. After school? Well, kids might have had "lessons" (music, swimming,
ballet, whatever) once or twice a week - for which we were responsible for
getting to & from  ourselves (it was considered largely our own business,
and if we wanted to play piano or a sport or whatever it was therefore our
own lookout, not our parents') - but absolutely none of this running around
to activities day after day, or the scheduling issues that families face
now. A high-stress week would be if Mom had to take us all downtown one day
(on the bus - she didn't drive) to buy us all new shoes or something!

It makes a difference!

Cathy Bargar

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